The Beautiful and Bold Orange Tiger Lily
The tiger lily, with its vibrant orange petals covered in dark spots, is one of the most eye-catching flowers you can grow. This hardy perennial thrives in gardens across much of North America. Its summertime blooms add a pop of color and act as a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Though often called a tiger lily, its proper botanical name is Lilium lancifolium It grows from a bulb and can reach heights between 3 and 6 feet tall The stiff, unbranched stems are dotted with narrow lance-shaped leaves that can grow 5 to 8 inches long.
The Flowers
The flowers are what give this plant its common name. The recurved petals are saturated in a bright reddish-orange hue and speckled with deep brown spots. These prominent dots resemble the pattern on a tiger’s coat, leading to its tiger lily moniker.
Each stem produces around a dozen flowers. They emerge from buds starting from the bottom of the stalk and reach upwards. The blooms tend to nod downward and face outwards when fully open. Though beautiful, they lack any fragrance.
When to See Flowers
One of the best attributes of the tiger lily is its mid-to-late summer bloom time. It provides a bold splash of color during the hottest days of the year when many other garden plants have petered out. You can expect to see the tiger lily flowers starting in early July and lasting into August.
The exact dates depend on your USDA plant hardiness zone. In the cooler zones of 4-6, flowering typically begins in early July. Further south in zones 7 and 8, you may start seeing blooms by mid-June. Deadheading spent flowers can prolong the bloom period by a couple of weeks.
Pollinators Love Them
With their copious amounts of pollen and bright coloring, tiger lily flowers attract hordes of pollinating insects. Bees adore them. You’re also likely to see hummingbirds visiting, as they sip the lily’s nectar through their slender beaks. Butterflies are another frequent visitor attracted by the blossoms’ strong orange hues and sweet nectar.
Easy Propagation
This hardy plant multiplies readily, making it simple to propagate. The bulbs produce small bulblets each year that can be separated and replanted. For faster propagation, you can remove the aerial bulbils that form at leaf axils along the stalks. These black bulbils can be collected once ripe and directly planted.
You can also easily propagate lancifolium lilies from just the scales of a bulb. Simply plant the scales in the ground and they will generate new little bulbs. Even growing tiger lilies from seed is possible with patience.
Caring for Your Tiger Lilies
Tiger lilies aren’t too fussy when it comes to their care needs. Here are some tips for keeping them happy and flowering profusely:
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Plant bulbs in spring after the last frost, at a depth 2-3 times their size. Give them sun to partial shade and well-draining soil.
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Water thoroughly once a week if rainfall is lacking. The bulbs appreciate consistently moist (but not soggy) soil.
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Apply a balanced fertilizer a couple of times during spring growth. Avoid high nitrogen formulas.
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Remove spent flowers as they fade to encourage more blooms.
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In zones 5 and colder, add mulch over the bulbs after the ground freezes to prevent frost heaving.
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Divide the bulbs every few years once the clump gets overcrowded. Replant the bulblets and scales.
Diseases & Pests
Tiger lilies are relatively hardy when grown in the right conditions. However, they can occasionally fall victim to some common bulb diseases and insect pests:
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Botrytis blight – Gray mold on flowers. Promote airflow and avoid overhead watering.
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Root rot – Caused by soggy soil. Improve drainage and reduce watering.
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Lily leaf beetles – Bright red insects that skeletonize leaves. Hand pick off plants.
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Aphids – Suck plant juices and spread viruses. Blast off with water or use insecticidal soap.
With proper site selection and care, tiger lilies should remain mainly problem-free and provide their uniquely bold, spotted blossoms for many years to come. Their ability to spread rapidly makes it easy to share this beautiful flower with gardening friends and family. Give Lilium lancifolium a try this summer for vivid tiger-like color in the garden.
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FAQ
What are the orange flowers with black spots?
What is the difference between orange lily and tiger lily?
What are the speckled orange lilies?
What are the orange lilies called?
What do orange lilies look like?
Orange Lily is also called Fire Lily. The wide-open flowers are vivid blaze orange and may be brushed with red or purple. The blossoms are tinged with yellow at the flowers’ throats and turn orange-red at the tips. Stamens are marked with deep brown. Orange lilies do best in dappled sunlight, or they can have light shade in the summertime.
Do tiger lilies have orange flowers?
Although both have orange flowers, they look very different. The flowers of the orange lily are upright and mostly solid orange with a few dark freckles whereas the flowers of the tiger lily are nodding and orange with prominent black or deep crimson spots.
What are the different types of orange lilies?
One of our favorite types of orange lilies is the ‘Orange Ton’ variety. It’s got everything you could possibly want from an orange lily. It’s bright, it’s flashy, it’s fragrant. This sizeable bloom reaches 40 inches in height, so it looks great in pots but it can hold its own in your flower beds, too.
Do lilies have orange flowers?
‘Orange Pixie’ bears large, upward-facing orange blooms without fragrance and makes an excellent cut flower. Philadelphia Lily also known as the wood lily can grow to 3-4 feet tall and a foot wide. The leaves are alternate and narrow that taper to a point. It is in bloom from June to August.